{"id":200298,"date":"2025-10-09T14:17:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/200298\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T14:17:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:17:14","slug":"amoral-evil-vitriolic-backlash-builds-against-comics-who-played-riyadh-festival-comedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/200298\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Amoral, evil\u2019: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival | Comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

To paraphrase TS Eliot<\/a>: and was it worth it after all? A question to ponder for those who have taken the coin of a government once described unequivocally as \u201cthe worst of the worst\u201d<\/a> by one human rights advocacy organisation.<\/p>\n

The past decade has seen Saudi Arabia invest in everything from football to opera<\/a> to video games \u2013 all part of the regime\u2019s efforts to diversify its oil-dependent economy and its execution-heavy reputation.<\/p>\n

Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s (MBS) latest interest? Comedy. The Riyadh comedy festival<\/a>, which ends today, has attracted a number of big hitters. Among them: Pete Davidson, Louis CK, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Whitney Cummings and Jessica Kirson. While most of the performers are US based, Jimmy Carr, Jack Whitehall and Omid Djalili also appeared as headliners.<\/p>\n

Organised by Saudi Arabia\u2019s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), the festival was intended to<\/a> \u201camplify Riyadh\u2019s status as a leading destination for major cultural and artistic events\u201d. Or, as Visit Saudi didn\u2019t put it: come for the weather and the entertainment! Stay because you\u2019ve been arrested!<\/p>\n

Are you not entertained? GEA chairman Turki Al-Sheikh and Jos\u00e9 Mourinho at a boxing match in Riyadh. Photograph: Richard Pelham\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The organiser of the festival and chair of the GEA, Turki Al-Sheikh, is a big fan of culture. Indeed, he reposted a song on X<\/a> that celebrated the lead suspect in Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting that MBS has discovered a sense of humour, though, as the crown prince wasn\u2019t laughing when Masameer County<\/a>, a South Park meets Family Guy-style satire, was picked up by Netflix and became one of the most popular shows in the region. Instead, its creator, Abdulaziz Almuzaini, was sentenced<\/a> to a 13-year jail term and a 30-year travel ban for \u201cterrorism and promoting homosexuality\u201d.<\/p>\n

Others who have left MBS stony-faced? Fahad Albutairi<\/a>, known as \u201cSaudi Arabia\u2019s Jerry Seinfeld\u201d, who was allegedly handcuffed, blindfolded and put on a plane to Saudi Arabia when performing in Jordan in 2018. (He was also reported to have been forced to divorce his wife, a women\u2019s rights activist.)<\/p>\n

Abdulrahman al-Sadhan<\/a> was jailed for 20 years for running a parody Twitter account. Tala Safwan, an Egyptian TikTok influencer and prankster was arrested for a joke<\/a> with \u201clesbian subtext\u201d. And in 2018 a specific law was introduced<\/a> to punish, with jail sentences and fines, anybody who produced satire online deemed to be \u201cmocking public order\u201d.<\/p>\n

No laughing matter \u2026 Masameer County producer Abdulaziz Almuzaini was sentenced to 13 years in jail. Illustration: Netflix<\/p>\n

You might think, then, that comedians most vehement in their protestations against cancel culture \u2013 Chappelle, Ansari, CK, in particular \u2013 would balk at performing in a country whose predilection for silencing extends to (alleged) murder<\/a> by bone-saw.<\/p>\n

Pete Davidson has said<\/a> that there were no restrictions on the material he could perform, a dubious claim given that Atsuko Okatsuka leaked a prospective contract<\/a> she was sent. The \u201ccontent restrictions\u201d section detailed anything that \u201cmay be considered to degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule \u2026 the Kingdom of Saudi, the Saudi royal family, its legal system \u2026 religion\u201d. (Okatsuka declined the offer.)<\/p>\n

Another reason: Tim Dillon had his invite rescinded<\/a> after making a quip about slavery in the kingdom, as did Jim Jefferies after he said<\/a>: \u201cOne reporter was killed by the government \u2026 unfortunate, but not a fucking hill that I\u2019m gonna die on.\u201d Outing himself as an absolutely awful person and then not even getting the cash? Unfortunate. Oh, and then there\u2019s the fact that Bill Burr, who did perform, confirmed there was censorship. But \u201cthe royals loved the show<\/a>\u201d, he said \u2013 so that\u2019s nice.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the likes of Chappelle, Ansari and CK felt there was less at stake because, by their own estimation, they have already suffered cancellation. Except that their exile from public life appears to include fresh Netflix specials and Grammy awards<\/a>. Louis CK should count himself lucky; if he\u2019d been caught with his dick in his hand in Najd, rather than Colorado<\/a>, he may well have retained neither of those appendages (punitive limb amputation is an actual thing<\/a>).<\/p>\n

CK\u2019s stance on murderous dictatorships seems to have changed since this full-throated criticism of Libya\u2019s Muammar Gaddafi<\/a>. But fair play to him in one sense for getting out of his comfort zone \u2013 he has a whole bit<\/a> about giving up weed and yet here he is visiting a place where getting stoned is common. CK has defended himself<\/a> thus: \u201cI struggled about going once I heard what everybody was saying.\u201d Truly, a man of integrity.<\/p>\n

Riyadh comedy festival. Photograph: Fayez Nureldine\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Another performer who has seemingly discovered their conscience after the fact is Jessica Kirson, a lesbian Jewish comic. Kirson has tied herself in knots worthy of a grovelling balloon-dog since. In a statement<\/a> post-performance, Kirson asserted her \u201cdeep regret\u201d, saying that she was \u201csurprised\u201d to be asked. Disingenuous to the extreme, given the fact she openly solicited an invitation on a podcast<\/a> months ago.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Hannibal Buress, widely praised for his significant role in taking down Bill Cosby<\/a>; Buress is now taking money from a government that sentenced a 19-year-old victim of gang-rape to 200 lashes<\/a> and six months in prison. Meanwhile, I remember Jack Whitehall doing a skit about \u201cgrown adults getting wound up about cartoons\u201d. Presumably he doesn\u2019t mind the grown adults who got so wound up by cartoons that they sentenced satirist Al Hazzaa to 23 years<\/a>\u2019 jail time for lighthearted illustrations about fasting.<\/p>\n

Of course, the primary \u2013 and here consider primary as a euphemism for only \u2013 reason for entertainers becoming sharply severed from their morals is the riyals. On the state\u2019s Soundstorm festival<\/a> bill for this December, for instance: Post Malone, Halsey and Tyla. Actors who have taken million-dollar paychecks<\/a> to attend the Red Sea film festival include Will Smith and Johnny Depp.<\/p>\n

Paid in full \u2026 Jimmy Carr performed at Riyadh comedy festival. Photograph: Murdo Macleod\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

At least some comedians were honest about the money grab, rather than Kirson, who called the festival \u201ca gay-affirming event\u201d, a stretch when its sponsors have beheaded people<\/a> for same-sex activity. Davidson was more straightforward<\/a>: \u201cI see the number and go: \u2018I\u2019ll go\u2019\u201d. (The SNL alumnus has come in for particular criticism given that his firefighter father died during 9\/11). Chris Distefano said that he didn\u2019t want to do it, but that his fiancee had instructed him<\/a> to \u201ctake that fucking money\u201d.<\/p>\n

A more nuanced take<\/a> came from Nimesh Patel, who initially said yes before backing out. \u201cThey offered a lot of money. I\u2019m not in a position to say no to life-changing money. But it wasn\u2019t life-changing.\u201d Which, given the people involved, and as David Cross said in a fiery rebuke, will be true of all of them. The actor called out<\/a> peers he admired who \u201cwould condone this totalitarian fiefdom for \u2026 what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?\u201d I suppose Davidson is on record as loving sneakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Declined \u2026 Atsuko Okatsuka leaked her prospective contract. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Of course, some will argue that performing in authoritarian or oppressive countries is a means of reaching the masses; opening up art to those underserved. And while that may be true on occasion, it is a different thing entirely from being sponsored by the state itself to launder its sovereignty. As Vinny Thomas<\/a> sarcastically put it: \u201cSometimes to fight the power you have to be paid by the power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others argue that cultural boycotts and campaigns make little difference, even when South Africa<\/a>, BDS<\/a>, and more recently, Nan Goldin\u2019s dismantling of the Sackler family\u2019s art patronage<\/a> have proven otherwise. Plenty of comedians joined Cross in condemnation, including Nish Kumar<\/a>, Marc Maron<\/a> and Zach Woods<\/a>. In typically forthright style, Stewart Lee described<\/a> participants as \u201cevil, amoral, grifting bastards\u201d.<\/p>\n

And Shane Gillis, Leslie Liao, Stavros Halkias and Mike Birbiglia turned down offers alongside Okatsuka. The stain on the reputations of the comedians who stood up for Saudi\u2019s project whitewash? A deep, blood red.<\/p>\n